“Family Matters” star Reginald VelJohnson's pro partner stunned by their “DWTS” score

"I did it," VelJohnson said after his performance.

Family Matters star Reginald VelJohnson was certainly a surprise in his Dancing With the Stars debut Tuesday night, but no one was more stunned than his pro partner, Emma Slater.

The 72-year-old sitcom and movie actor performed a Salsa to “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men, in which his expressive face did more of the work than his feet did. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough all encouraged the Die Hard star to add more movement in the future, but despite the feedback, he managed to score a 6, 5, and 5 for a total of 16.

Slater started screaming and bouncing up and down when the scores were read, clearly stunned by the score. VelJohnson simply said, "I did it." Though it was the lowest of the first five pairs, it was more or less in line with Ilona Maher and Brooks Nader, who both got 18s for their first dances.

Related: Reginald VelJohnson didn't ask Family Matters costar Jaleel White for advice before joining DWTS

VelJohnson cited his time on Family Matters and Broadway as his prior experience in the world of dance, saying during his opening package, "I did move well when I was a kid. But as an old man, we'll see."

He also said he wanted to do the show for himself. "I got a lot of soul. I learned ballroom dancing from my parents, that's why it holds a special place in my heart," he told Slater.

After the performance aired, Slater shared more support for her partner on Instagram with a sweet dedication. "We got a 6!!!!!!," she wrote. "A 6 and two 5’s for our first dance and I’m really really proud of @thereginaldveljohnson for putting his everything into that dance."

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She continued, "I’m also really happy to see that there is so much support for him doing this in the his later years, it’s so important to recognize when people are giving it their all, and to cherish the good people in our lives no matter what age they are. And he is one of the very best."

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Also making their DWTS debut tonight were Oscar nominee Eric Roberts, newly single Bachelorette star Jenn Tran, Tori Spelling, Phaedra Parks, Dwight Howard, Joey Graziadei, and fake heiress Anna Delvey, who was described in the show's official announcement as a "notorious ankle bracelet fashionista."

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.

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